Roommate Mike Rhoton said Strickland was unarmed, but may have been holding a video game controller when he went to the door as it was bashed in by officers.
So if I were to go up to a door and see someone holding something that could be a gun I could go and shoot them to death right?
Those cops serving the warrant saw the kid holding something that may or may not have been a firearm. Do they wait until one of their own gets shot?
Shoot first and ask questions later? Flawed logic, my friend.Also, cops get kevlar vests. Kids out in the real world don't.
UNCW Police planned to arrest Strickland on charges of armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and breaking and entering.
That's the Friday when UNCW student Justin Raines was among the first at the Market Street Wal-Mart to buy two coveted PlayStation 3 consoles, released that day.When Raines came home to the on-campus Seahawk Village apartments after midnight with the games he bought for $641 apiece, two white men in a gold Pontiac pulled up to Raines' car, struck him with a six-inch blunt object and stole his purchases, leaving him with bumps and bruises, UNCW police said.Because of safety concerns, UNCW Police Chief David Donaldson requested the help of sheriff's deputies to serve the warrants on Strickland, according to a university news release.Three unloaded guns were in the house - a hunting rifle and two shotguns - which were in Strickland's room, Rhoton said. And when Strickland answered the door, he may have been holding a PlayStation controller in his hand, he said.
Neighbors said they long feared that something bad would happen at 533 Long Leaf Acres Drive - a home historically known for loud parties and noise."We even have this address on our refrigerator because we know where the noise is coming from," said Joan Kester, adding that the complaints in the past have revolved around loud music and kids on the roof yelling.
And no, cops don't just shoot whomever they please.
It takes .2 seconds to at least LOOK at what the kid was holding. Beyond caring for oneself, a cop's duty is to protect and serve the community and its people even if it means taking personal risk. It was a goddamn remote. Even if it was questionable, that's why a cop is trained to shoot to injure as well as shoot to kill.If the remote looked like a gun it still wasn't a solid cause to aim to KILL without a better look. That's just called sloppy work and someone's life was wasted as a result.